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This tiny, light macro lens is meant to be my complementary Macro lens (mainly for closeups rather than macro)
The focal length of the Olympus m.Zuiko ED 30/3.5 Macro is equivalent to a 60 mm lens. [E.g. slightly longer than a "nifty fifty" aka "normal lens"] Which makes it the 'widest' among all Olympus / OM System Macro lenses. This is a good lens when you need a wider view when going close, so to speak. Think for example of taking an image of a mushroom, but more from below - and you still have some of it's surrounding in the photo.
You have to remember, that my latest 90mm Macro lens, is in fact a long 180 mm macro lens - which for certain motives is awefully long. Actually too long for some kind of images.
So, my thought was, to add this tiny lens, for "closeups", rather than real macro.
Attractive price: 200 €
Right now, in Sweden the little macro lens costs 3300 SEK / 300 €, but OM System gives right now a 90€ rebate, and the end price will be a mere 200 € - which i think is splendid. After all, this lens is supported by the Olympus cameras to do photo bracketing as well focus stacking - which is something I really like, and started to use far more often.
Macro down to 1.25x - but there is a 'but'...
It is a small, light, very affordable, good quality lens ! For real macro (down to 1.25x) - it exhibits a very short distance between front lens and subject - in fact only 1 cm - which likely will scare away most insects. Pkus it will be difficult with lightning - as you likely will cast a shadow (from the lens) over whatever you take photos of.
Nevertheless, flowers and other small details, combined with focus stacking, should make this lens an excellent introduction for "closeup" photography - with a somewhat wider view. You know, it is a good lens for somebody to dip toes into the world of the smaller things; in order to get a taste of it. Without ruin the bank account. These things do matter among people as of lately.
Sal's flower image
which Sal took in his garden when he lived in Upper Nicolosi in Sicily - the last houses until you go up to the Etna Volcano. Here he used a Olympus EM1 Mark II camera, combined with a Sigma EX 30 mm f 2.8 lens - on which an achromatic close-up lens was mounted - in order to simulate a "macro lens". He stopped down to ƒ 9.0 in the flower image (don't ask me why).
Since I was never truly into macro in the past - so, I've never cared about buying any real macro lens either. Instead, i had the dirt cheap Sigma 30/2.8 plastic lens - and put on a Marumi achromat close-up lens, in order to get a bit closer if I wanted to.
What are achromatic close-up lenses ?
They are high quality, well corrected close-up lenses (made of two glass elements) which you can screw onto any lens, in order to get closer to your subject. It is a good way if you want to overcome the minimum focus of a lens - and it doesn't steal any light as you get closer. However, you will not have a full focus range any longer (e.g. all the way from infinite down to macro; that is only something macro lenses can provide)
In the above photo, Sal made a few close-ups, with the Sigma EX 30/2.8 + Marumi 300 achromat lens, aperture ƒ5.0 |
